Well written news analysis of the New John McCain vs the Old John McCain and asks the question which is the real McCain and if he ever really was a maverick. The article outlines the New McCain on guns, immigration, Christian right, campaign finance reform but the Old and New McCain remain the same on restricting union rights, cuts in health care to the elderly, privatizing social security, opposing increases in minimum wage, against equal pay for women and remaining one of the most hawkish politicians. Americans needs to know what his real position is on these issues and to be held accountable for his pandering. Article indicates that his changing positions are helping to solidify his standing with the more right wing branch of ... More »

Where the Guardian falls down is in their understanding of American politics. About 70% to 80% of all adult Americans support gun rights. So to conflate gun rights with the right wing is to misunderstand American politics. Or else the right in America is way more numerous than most people imagine. Either way the Guardian miscued. On top of that they use all kinds of emotional language. A dispassionate survey this is not. It does represent wide swaths of British elite sentiment. So as a survey of British attitudes towards the American election it is useful. Otherwise the value would be slight.

Since the days of De Tocqueville some of the sharpest observers of America have been visiting Europeans. This is the latest in Pilkington's coverage of the election, and besides not pulling punches, it gives an overview of the way McCain works that's rarely found in American publications. A valuable contribution! (BTW, can you imagine a MSM American op-ed the words 'rictus' and 'avuncularly' in one sentence? Or anywhere?)

This is an excellent article in terms of information. It is balanced in terms of showing the strengths and weaknesses of McCain. It would be nice if all American voters read this piece before the election. Two minor problems: The audience is British, and although we can read the Guardian here in the U.S., most people don't. And it is very long. The British are used to reading longer pieces and probably have more patience for them. Only the already well-informed Americans, such as readers of "The Economist," read such long pieces here. Unfortunately, it's the less-informed voters who need this information.

The myth of a maverick indeed! This article nails it and him. Too bad most Americans will never read it. I read an article about the Clinton concession this morning that quotes a woman, a former Clinton supporter, as saying she'd just changed her registration to independent and donated $10 to McCain because, "he's not really a conservative." Yes, he is really a conservative. His voting record proves it. And, as this article correctly demonstrates, he's moving more that way every day. How he manages to maintain that myth in the face of facts like these, is a mystery to me.

excellant article....some truth...finally.

This is an excellent journalistic piece. It strts off with the best kind of reporting: a first-person witnessing of McCain and his speech at the Louisville gun show. The author could have given more factual instances of the old McCain and the new McCain, but gives enough fact-based examples to powerfully make the case for an old/new dichotomy.

Tell it like it is!

Why is it that an English newspaper does a more accurate article on the real problem with the McCain Fantasy than you will see in Most American media. Thank you, Guardian.

This opinion piece has little journalistic merit. It is a vintage McCartyite attack by insinuation and guilt by association, much as the media have done to McCain all spring. The author reveals his far-left position by his constant use of code words and slanted descriptions of various groups of people. One sees a lot of the infamous speech Senator Obama gave on Billionaires' Row in the tone and content of this piece. There is little effort to allow the people being attacked to defend themselves.

horrifyingly accurate.

This is pretty good at analyzing a perspective about McCain that needs a lot more attention as we head into the general election. I agree with this piece, but a neutral person (if that's possible in this election season) would say that more McCain supporters should have been interviewed for their point of view.

Extensive, but hostile, analysis of McCain's past and present positions. Emphasis on changes in these positions, with strong suggestions that McCain is pandering to important voter groups. Maybe true, but very one-sided.

This is absolutely good journalism and a story American main- stream media should have been telling months ago. The mistake McCain is obviously making is that in today's internet and You Tube world, it is no longer possible to project contrary images to different groups and get away with it. Obama's best hope is the knowledge that John McCain will, by November, give the American voting public multiple "macaca" moments.

The more McCain's "maverick" facade is lifted, the better informed the voters will be. Excellent piece, well-documented, and thorough in its scope.

An interesting topic, thoroughly butchered by the author. If he had any knowledge of the American system and McCain's position therein, he would understand that McCain is appealing to the conservative wing now to build up a campaign war chest and enitce the Rush Limbaughs of the world back into his camp. And some quotes are just not believable, and must be sourced: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." I mean, really, does anyone beleive McCain said that without hearing it on tape? So the author misses a chance to discuss McCain's strategy by falling into the trap of taking a political stand rather than analyzing the facts.

This was an interesting article of the John McCain Democrats can expect to face in the upcoming months. Now that our primary season is officially over, Democrats can spend our energy debunking the myth of the “maverick” by showing his deeply embedding Bush branding. This article simply highlights how McCain has laid down his principles in his quest to capture the votes of the extreme right voting bloc. It’s unfortunate that the main stream media is ambivalent in reporting on McCain’s glaring gaffes and flip-flops. And it even more unfortunate that most votes will never take the time to look for information outside of what they are being fed by MSM so that they can make an informed decision. It seems most votes like to choose ... More »

How can you call McCain a maverick when he voted with the Bush administration 95% of the time.

Of course this is good journalism, but unfortunately hardly any americans will be reading this. They will vote this hateful man into Office simply because Bush has frightened the pants off them. They have been brainwashed into the thought that the rest of the world [including us] is against them and that there is a terrorist around every corner. With thinking like that, who would you vote for? God help us all.

This should be required reading for anyone thinking about voting for John McCain. I knew that he had been retreating from his more centrist policies of 2000 to appease the hard-right, but after reading this article, I don't think anyone can guess what he'll do in office. In fact I don't think even he knows what he'll do in office, he just wants to get there.

Detailed analysis of McCain's positions--and current attempts to please both the Republican base, and attract Independents, at the same time.

Very good story because it broke down exactly how McCain has chosen to flip-flop. This will be very easy to pick up on during the general election.

Yes, very accurate article for the robotic Mr. McCain.

The more information about the candidates, the better. This article added information I didn't know and reminded me of some I had forgotten.